Dear Editor,
It is my view that your recent article, `Granger calls for probe of residents claims to lands at Plaisance,’ which highlighted the ongoing tension among Guysuco, the Minister of Local Government and the residents of Better Hope and Plaisance, has exposed the calamitous dilemma of the entire African Guyanese community. When the overriding issue is about Africans and the legitimacy of their ancestral land, the opposition leader merely asking that there be a probe into the villagers’ claims falls way short of expectations.
Also troubling is the quote, “Granger, if the land belongs to the people let them show the necessary documents that (are) required by all citizens. If they do not have document it is the property of the state. Stop playing politics,” which came from a blogger, in response to the article. But, is it just me? The tone of the article gives the impression that Mr. Granger, a historian, is not really sure about the ancestral land claims of the villagers.
Just like the border issues between Guyana and its neighbours, the British, from whom we got our independence, left Guyana with a lot of issues, which were never ratified by the two successive governments since 1966. However, unlike the border issues, the issue of un-ratified slave and slave ancestral lands are within the power of our politicians and parliament. African activists and historians normally boast about the villages, which were purchased by freed slaves and the agricultural lands they earned. It is not fair for these lands to be usurped by a marauding government or businessmen.
One has to wonder. What do African Guyanese get in return for their votes? The community, as a whole, needs a lot of assistance and guidance. It can be said safely that while, at present, the community does not have strong financial worth there is a major monopoly on education. So why is it these educated minds cannot unite and work selflessly on a strategy that will allow Africans to, in this case, benefit from the dowry left to us by our ancestors. This is a major part of our reparations, sitting right in front of us, around us, given to us by oral or written agreements. Plaisance land owners do have agricultural plots at the back within Guysuco lands. In 1964 when the PNC/UF took office relatives of mine were still utilizing their agricultural plots. All that is needed is to establish the authenticity of those old agreements and move towards regularization.
Any attorney will tell you that an oral agreement is just as good as one written. Of course I am aware of some regulations Mr. Burnham wanted to implement against persons not gainfully utilizing their land. All of this needs to be looked into and checked for authenticity.
When the matter of regularization of Africans’ lands came up before the 2011 election, the government made it clear that it will not be spending on that effort. The PNC was told bluntly that the party should gather their attorneys – and there are quite a few attorneys within the ranks – and get them to take the matter to the courts. That approach, to help their constituency, was never taken, and since 2011, I am not aware of a bill put forward in parliament in regards to the regularization of African ancestral lands.
I expected Mr. Granger to be proactive and use the Plaisance unease to announce the formation of a group of technocrats to look into this matter. Instead, he is asking, and threatening the government to do what he should be doing naturally for his supporters. There is a saying, “God help those who help themselves.” Does the reluctance have anything to do with the fact that the attorneys would need to work pro bono?
I am sure the question about Africans not having the resources to capitalize on land ownership will come up. Look, the land is lying idle right now, is expected to be said. There are different ways and headings under which the lands can be registered and transport distributed – in trusts or otherwise. But with transports the land value can be assessed and used as collateral.
When Mr. Hoyte had plans to give ancestral lands in Ithaca to a rice farmer,
with regulated land, that rice farmer could have opted to partner with an Ithacan trust or lease the land from the trust. I visualize massive agricultural projects in partnership with African land owners if this is done immediately. In the US, slave ancestors are presently receiving twice and yearly cheques from gas, oil and lumber companies for the use of their land.
Re-vitalizing Africans’ interest in land ownership can do a lot to lift the community out of the doldrums – give them the responsibility of ownership, a new perspective. I eagerly wait and watch to see which group of politicians will do something positive for the community.
Yours faithfully,
F. Skinner
